Fated
by badly-knitted
Summary: Ryo is busy thinking deep thoughts when he should be sleeping. Written for Jae's Monthly Drabble Challenge 167 - Chance, Luck, Resolve. Set after the manga.


**Title:** Fated

**Author:** badly-knitted

**Characters:** Ryo, Dee.

**Rating:** PG

**Setting:** After the manga.

**Summary:** Ryo is busy thinking deep thoughts instead of sleeping.

**Word Count:** 1067

**Written For:** Jae's Monthly Drabble Challenge 167 - Chance, Luck, Resolve.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.

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Sometimes Ryo wondered how his life might have gone if he'd been assigned to some other precinct after making detective instead of being sent to the 27th. The precinct he'd been working out of as a uniformed officer hadn't had any openings for advancement due to cutbacks, so when he'd passed his detective's exam he'd had to accept a new posting. He could have been sent to any one of five precincts that were short on plainclothes officers, two of which were within easy commuting distance of where he'd been living at the time, but by sheer chance he'd found himself assigned to the one furthest away, meaning he'd had to look for a new apartment.

That had worked out pretty well, since the raise that came with his promotion had meant he could afford somewhere better than he'd been accustomed to. The new place he found even had two bedrooms although when he'd signed the lease he hadn't really needed the extra space. The rent was within his budget, however, the apartment clean and well maintained, the kitchen spacious and modern, and the building itself was in a reasonably good area. He hadn't seen anything better during his search, all the one bedroom apartments he'd looked at had been unsuitable for one reason or another, and what was wrong with having more space than he needed anyway? He'd moved in a week later, and he'd never regretted it.

Having that spare room had been a stroke of luck since it had turned out he did need it after all; it had been just right for a young boy. Would he have considered taking Bikky in if he'd only had the one bedroom? Social Services would most likely have rejected him as a suitable foster parent unless he'd been willing to relocate yet again. As it was, he'd been able to prove he had suitable accommodations available, even if at that point the room had been unfurnished. He'd wanted to let Bikky choose his own furniture so that the boy would feel more at home. They'd decorated the room themselves then gone furniture shopping together, and it had helped them to bond.

Of course, if he hadn't been assigned to the 27th Precinct Ryo would never have met Bikky in the first place. Until he'd met the boy Ryo had never considered fostering or adopting a child, had never seen himself as single parent material, it had simply been that having lost both his own parents while in his teens he'd understood what Bikky was going through and had wanted to help him. By the time the investigation into Dick Goldman's murder was over, Ryo had been determined to raise the boy himself, give him a better life than he'd had so far, and nothing his new partner had said had been able to shake his resolve in the slightest.

That was another thing; in all likelihood, if Ryo had been sent to a different precinct he would have never met Dee either. He did, in the course of investigating crimes, cross the paths of detectives from other divisions and precincts, but such encounters were usually fairly fleeting, not allowing much time to really get to know them. Even if he and Dee had met that way, it seemed unlikely that such a deep friendship would have developed between them, to say nothing of a romantic relationship. Both had been a consequence of spending so much time in each other's company that they'd come to know each other inside out. Looking back, falling in love with Dee seemed almost inevitable.

Chance and luck then, or possibly even fate, had led Ryo to where he was today, with a teenage boy in his care and a partner he loved with all his heart. If his life had taken a different direction, he thought he'd probably be a workaholic with very little in the way of a social life, forever putting in extra hours trying to solve cases, then coming home to an empty apartment to spend his evenings alone, reading or watching TV. Well, maybe he'd have a cat for company.

"You're thinkin' too hard," Dee mumbled, beside him in the bed.

"Sorry, didn't mean to disturb you. I was just…" Ryo trailed off, not quite knowing what to say, how to explain his musings to someone who always seemed to live in the moment, seldom dwelling on the past.

Dee rolled over to face him, squinting at him in the faint light coming through the bedroom windows.

"What?"

"It's silly." Ryo turned to face his lover. "I couldn't sleep and I just started wondering what my life might have been like if I'd been assigned somewhere other than the 27th."

Dee snorted. "You're weird, you know that? Why think about stuff that never happened?" He seemed honestly baffled.

"I don't know, I guess maybe because I don't want to start taking what I've got for granted. Fate's been kinder to me than I probably deserve; if my life had gone in a different direction I'm pretty sure I'd have never met you or Bikky."

"So what, you'd be workin' yourself into the ground and livin' alone in a crappy one-bedroom apartment?"

Dee knew him so well. "Something like that," Ryo agreed sheepishly. "I think maybe I'd have a cat though."

Dee chuckled. "Y'know, you could still get a cat if you wanted; I wouldn't mind. I like cats."

"Don't need one." Ryo threaded his fingers through Dee's hair and smiled. "I've got you. You're better than any cat."

"You got that right; a cat can't do this." Propping himself on one elbow, Dee kissed him. "Now stop thinkin' and get some sleep or you'll be too wiped tomorrow to think straight. I know what you're like when ya don't get enough sleep."

"Mm, you're right, I probably should."

With one arm draped across Ryo's chest, Dee was already almost asleep again himself, a comforting presence against Ryo's side. Closing his eyes, Ryo resolved to never leave his lover or his son in any doubt over how much they were loved and appreciated. His life with them in it was so much better than it would be without them.

Pulling the covers up further, Ryo snuggled down and closed his eyes, listening to Dee's slow, peaceful breathing. There was no doubt about it; he was a lucky man

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The End


End file.
